The Odd Couple: A Literary Analysis

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According to Dictionary.com, literature is defined as writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography and essays. Often times, many of these literary works share common themes, plots, settings and character personalities, even if they are written in different time periods. Although plays, dramas and screenplays are not in the literary works category, they are frequently known to be comprised of these similar literary elements as well. This appears to be the case in Robert Frost’s famous poem, “Mending Wall” and Neil Simon’s well known drama, The Odd Couple. While these two writings are categorized in different groups, they share the comparable theme of limitations. It is a person’s civilized responsibility to, at all times, know their boundaries in life.
Robert Frost was born on March 26, 1874, in San Francisco, California. He became interested in reading and writing poetry during his high school years. Most of his poems are notable for the informal, organized language that implies messages rather than openly stating them. Perhaps in his poem, “Mending Wall”, Frost is speaking of two different kinds of walls, both physical and emotional.
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He became a writer during his adult life writing comedies for television shows, and then eventually began to concentrate on writing plays for Broadway. Simon’s work usually presented conflict between two people and were often formed of personal experiences or those of his friends. His play, The Odd Couple, is about two friends, Oscar and Felix, who are both in failed marriages. Felix moves in with Oscar in hopes that they will be able to save money, but they quickly discover that it is very beneficial for them to keep their distance in order to maintain their

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